Intensive Swallowing Rehabilitation for Head and Neck Cancer Survivors With Chronic Dysphagia: Outcomes From a Prospective Multicentre Cohort Study With 6-Month Follow-Up

IF 2.2 3区医学 Q1 OTORHINOLARYNGOLOGY

Head and Neck-Journal for the Sciences and Specialties of the Head and Neck Pub Date : 2026-09-22 Epub Date: 2026-04-10 DOI:10.1002/hed.70271

J. I. Oldenbeuving, L. van der Molen, J. T. Groothuis, J. G. Kalf

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Chronic dysphagia persists in some head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors despite preventive exercises, negatively impacting quality of life. Evidence for effective rehabilitation strategies remains limited.

Methods

This prospective cohort study included 34 HNC survivors (≥ 1 year post-treatment) who completed a 3-week intensive swallowing rehabilitation (ISR) program (15 sessions, 60 min/day). Outcomes were measured at baseline (T0), post-treatment (T1), and 6-month follow-up (T2) using patient-rated (VAS, MDADI, PSS-HN), clinician-rated (food level, AUS-TOM), and objective swallowing outcomes (MSS, MSV, TOMASS).

Results

ISR was feasible and safe (92% completion, no adverse events). Patient-rated and most clinician-rated outcomes improved significantly post-ISR and remained stable at 6 months (VAS: p < 0.001; PSS-HN: p < 0.001; food level: p = 0.002). MDADI and AUS-TOM for solids further improved at follow-up. Objective swallowing tests showed no clinically relevant change.

Conclusion

ISR effectively improves normalcy of diet and quality of life in HNC survivors with chronic dysphagia, with benefits sustained at 6 months.

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头颈癌慢性吞咽困难幸存者的强化吞咽康复：一项为期6个月随访的前瞻性多中心队列研究的结果

背景：慢性吞咽困难在一些头颈癌（HNC）幸存者中持续存在，尽管进行了预防性锻炼，对生活质量产生了负面影响。有效康复策略的证据仍然有限。方法：这项前瞻性队列研究包括34名HNC幸存者（治疗后≥1年），他们完成了为期3周的强化吞咽康复（ISR）计划（15次，60分钟/天）。通过患者评分（VAS、mddi、PSS-HN）、临床评分（食物水平、au - tom）和客观吞咽结果（MSS、MSV、TOMASS），在基线（T0）、治疗后（T1）和6个月随访（T2）测量结果。结果：ISR是可行和安全的（92%的完成率，无不良事件）。患者评分和大多数临床评分的结果在ISR后显著改善，并在6个月时保持稳定（VAS: p）。结论：ISR有效改善了慢性吞咽困难HNC幸存者的正常饮食和生活质量，并在6个月时持续获益。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Head and Neck-Journal for the Sciences and Specialties of the Head and Neck 医学-耳鼻喉科学

CiteScore

7.00

自引率

6.90%

发文量

278

审稿时长

1.6 months

期刊介绍： Head & Neck is an international multidisciplinary publication of original contributions concerning the diagnosis and management of diseases of the head and neck. This area involves the overlapping interests and expertise of several surgical and medical specialties, including general surgery, neurosurgery, otolaryngology, plastic surgery, oral surgery, dermatology, ophthalmology, pathology, radiotherapy, medical oncology, and the corresponding basic sciences.